MAKING HAMANTASCHEN COOKIES FOR PURIM
This episode of Big Blend Radio’s “Cooking with Ruth” Show features Ruth Milstein who shares how to make Hamantaschen (recipe below), a scrumptious cookie usually eaten on the Jewish holiday Purim. Haman (Hamantaschen) was a biblical foe of the Jewish people, and the story shows the peoples ultimate victory over him.
Ingredients:
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
4 cups flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest
½ cup orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
Filling:
1/2 -pound dried apricot, washed and chopped to very small pieces
6 ounces apricot preserves
1 tablespoon orange juice
In a large bowl put the egg and the sugar and beat for 2 minutes. Add all the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Divide the dough into 4 parts then cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes in a warm place.
On a floured board roll out each portion to ¼ inch thickness. Cut the dough into circle with a 3-inch round cookie cutter; you may use a cup or glass.
In a medium size bowl mix all the filling ingredients. Place 1 teaspoon of filling into the center of each circle. Lift up all 3 sides and pinch the corners together to make a triangular 3-cornered hat shape, leaving a small opening at the center exposing some of the filling.
Arrange the cookies about 1 inch between each other on a greased cookie sheet and bake in a 350◦ preheated oven for 20 minutes until golden brown. Let the cookies cool down and transfer them to an airtight container. Cookies keep fresh for 1 week. Makes 24-30 cookies.
** You can also fill the cookies with chocolate spread and chopped walnuts, chopped dry prunes (very popular and delicious) or any dry fruit you desire.
Ruth Milstein is the author of the Gourmand award-winning recipe book ‘Cooking with Love: Ventures into the New Israeli Cuisine.’ www.RuthMilstein.com.
